Organometal (OM) compounds are used for a variety of industrial applications and their trialkyl derivatives produce both neural and behavioral toxicity. The goals of this research are to characterize the time and dose-related neurotoxicity of OMs, examine the potential neurobiological substrates of these effects, and study their significance relative to the CNS. The behavior of animals exposed to OMs is similar to that of animals having limbic forebrain lesions. Pharmacological studies implicate catecholaminergic systems in some of the behavioral effects of triethyl lead. Subsequent studies have examined the effects of OMs on limbic system function. The limbic system modulates behavioral reactivity, emotionality and memory and appears to be very sensitive to many toxicants, including OMs. The effects of OMs have been compared to specific cytotoxicants such as AF64-A, 6-OHDA, and DSP-4. Studies to date indicate that the behavioral effects commonly associated with limbic damage appear to be related to a disruption of cholinergic function. These studies suggest that OMs and other neurotoxicants may be useful in the study of the neurobiological basis of some types of metabolic encephalopathies and degenerative disorders.